The CCBE Plenary Session in Bordeaux brought together over 100 CCBE national delegations’ representatives for key discussions on the role of lawyers in upholding the rule ofl aw in Europe and beyond, and to attend the CCBE Amicus Curiae Contest Award Ceremony.
Discover the highlights of the day:
The session opened with insightful remarks from Caroline Laveissière, Bâtonnière of Bordeaux, and Jérôme Delas, Vice-Bâtonnier.
Since 13 May 2025, the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer is open for signature. 17 signatories have already supported the Convention, and the CCBE continues to encourage its swift signature and ratification by as many countries as possible. Daniele Nicola Cangemi, Head of the Department of Human Rights, Justice and Legal Co-operation standard-setting activities, delivered a speech to highlight its impactful role for the legal profession.
The CCBE welcomed a representative of the Union of Turkish Bar Associations (UTBA), Kasım Akbaş, Senior Advisor to the President; and the President of the Istanbul Bar, İbrahim Ö. Kaboğlu, to discuss the ongoing situation of lawyers in Türkiye.
In this context, the CCBE expressed full support for the Istanbul Bar Association ahead of the criminal hearing scheduled for 28–29 May 2025. The independence of lawyers and their representative bodies is an essential cornerstone of the rule of law.
Amicus Curiae Contest (ACC) Award Ceremony 2025: Congratulations to Léa Silveira, law student at IE University (Madrid), winner of the 2025 ACC, which rewards law students and trainee lawyers for a fictitious brief on the case of a lawyer working to defend human rights.
As part of its ongoing work, the CCBE also revised several key professional documents, including the Code of Conduct for European Lawyers and practical guides for proceedings before EU courts.
